No Matter How Hard I Try, I Can Never Win
by GinnyBloomPotter
Summary: She would never be good enough. Not as long as she was being compared to her perfect sister. Jemily. I support both Memily and Jemily but I just find Jemily easier to write for absolutely no reason. Rated T because I'm paranoid but tweens could probably read this story.
1. prologue

**Prologue**

I was trying. Trying so hard to be good. Good enough to be worthy of the power. The power that could restore or destroy.

The power that could DESTROY MY LIFE.

Before Serena got sick, I was worthy. Serena and I weren't competing at all. She wasn't a cheerleader, or anyone that would normally be "cool" or "popular". Yet she was extremely popular, and everyone loved her. I, on the other hand, was a cheerleader. Captain of the squad. I was also the choreographer and head of the dance team. My best classes were those involving creativity. Art, English, creative writing, drama, dance, singing, you name it. If it involved creativity, I rocked. But regardless of that, I was teased and bullied.

But there was no pressure! I would never need to be as good as Serena because we were different! Just because I was good at math and science and history didn't mean I had to be as good as 'straight A Serena'. We didn't have to rock the same areas. She was the sporty one (in organized sports at least), the smart one… the yellow samurai power ranger.

Then she got sick.

Suddenly, our differences went out the window. I had to be just as good as Serena, if not better than her, at swordplay, archery, hand to hand combat… anything needed to be a ranger. So what if I had a black belt in pretty much every form of martial arts known to man (and some that weren't). I was nothing compared to Serena.

I was the youngest of the rangers. So, naturally, I was perceived to be the weakest. And maybe I was. But it didn't matter. Nothing I did really mattered. The pressure was to be Serena. And if I wasn't I had failed.

AN- Hey guys. Another story. I have everything written in my notebook already so as soon as I type up each chapter, I'll post it. Hope you enjoy.

WARNING- THIS WILL BE A JEMILY STORY. I COMPLETELY SUPPORT MEMILY AND ABSOLUTLY ADORE THE PAIRING BUT I JUST FIND IT A WHOLE LOT EASIER TO WRITE JEMILY. IN THE SHOW, I'M PRETTY SURE THEY HAVE MORE OF A BROTHER/ SISTER RELATIONSHIP, BUT HE IS CERTAINLY A WHOLE LOT MORE WELL OFF WITH EMILY THAN WITH MIA. MIA BELONGS WITH KEVIN NOT JAYDEN! JUST EWWWW!

I have no intent to make Jia shippers mad, but I really hate them together. Jayden and Emily and Mike and Emily are so extremely cute!


	2. Serena's Arrival

**Chapter 1**

I fell to the ground as Jayden beat me yet again. Only 10 in the morning and I had already lost 5 times.

Ji walked in as Jayden was helping me up.

"Everyone, I need you to head inside." Ji called out. We all followed him into one of the rooms. It had been completely transformed. Mirrors and wooden bars lined the walls. Mats were laid out on the floor and a big speaker system was set up in one corner of the room.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Antonio's arrival has gotten me thinking." Ji explained. "Traditional training can't improve your physical tendencies more than it already has. But dance… Dance has qualities that can improve flexibility, endurance, and is a great way to express yourself. Who here knows how to dance?"

Mike and I raised our hands. Everyone looked at me in surprise.

"Em?" Kevin said. "You know how to dance?"

I nodded. "I was a cheerleader before I had to start training, and I was on the school's dance team."

"Sorry, I just… well…"

"I know I'm normally a klutz. But when I'm dancing, or fighting, or even ice skating, I feel more at home than I do on solid ground. My feet know exactly where to go and I feel like I can do anything."

"Prove it," Mike challenged. My eyes narrowed. I walked over to the sound system and played the instrumental version of "Imma Shine" from Step Up.

Suddenly, I was twirling, spinning, flipping and moving to the beat. I twisted, I danced, I floated. In dance, I was free. In dance, I was me. The moves came to me as naturally as breathing.

The song ended, leaving me in a final pose, my arms crossed over my chest in a traditional gangster pose.

"Is that enough proof for you?" I asked.

Mike nodded, looking at me with shock written clearly across his face.

I heard clapping coming from the doorway. The person I saw when I turned was on that worried me greatly.

"Serena?" I questioned. She was sick. She was supposed to be in bed. Not here, putting herself at risk of attack, especially in her condition.

"Hey bumblebee!" She replied. In spite of my worry, I had to smile at the use of one of my many nicknames.

"You shouldn't be here." I told her, my smile fading. "Why are you here? I told you it was way too dangerous to come!"

"I'll be fine sunshine!" She laughed. "I know how to fight, remember?"

"Regardless, you know you're not as healthy as you were in high school. If something happens to you…" My eyebrows furrowed in distress. "Do you even realize how I'd feel if you got hurt on my watch?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "You underestimate me Emily."

I snorted. "Hardly. You have set an impossible standard that I have been trying harder than I've ever had to before to live up to. I know better than anyone what you're capable of."

"Then why are you so worried?"

"Because if you get caught in the crossfire and try to defend yourself, the nighlock will know what you're capable of as well, and knowing them, they will stop at NOTHING to either get you on their side, or get rid of you altogether. And, oh look, added bonus for them, they use you to get to me, then the rest of the team and BAM! The rangers crumble and the Sanzu River is free to rise."

"Em," Mike said. "Why are you so worried? You're blowing this way out of proportion. Calm down, she'll be fine. When Mia's brother came, he was fine. No worries."

I frowned. They didn't get it. If Serena and I switched places, she would be saying the same things as I am.

"And by the way," Serena said. "I'm cured. I'm just as healthy as I was before I got sick. That's why I'm here. Mom called Ji when I got better and told him I was cured, so I could come back and take over the power of the yellow samurai ranger." The smile that had appeared on my face at the news that she was cured faded at that last sentence. Give the powers back? How was I supposed to do that? "But," Serena continued unexpectedly.

"But?" I wondered.

"Ji said that, not only is it unfair to you to have to give up the powers, after everything you and the team have been through together, and after working so hard to get to where you are, it is also unfair to the team. They would have to get used to a whole new ranger! Combine that with the possible side effects of giving up the power, and I'm out!"

"Side effects?" I asked, suddenly quite terrified. "What do you mean side effects?"

Ji answered. "Having the power of a samurai ranger is more than just physically having the power. The fact that the two of you are standing here unharmed after the power transfer is proof that you, Emily – not Serena, but you- were the one destined to be the yellow samurai ranger. Being a samurai ranger is a matter of fate. Serena only got sick in the first place because even though Serena was the oldest child, and therefore the heir to the power, you were the one who fate had chosen to be the yellow ranger. If you weren't destined to be it, even if Serena did get sick anyway, the powers would've been bonded to her and you would not have been able to receive them. Didn't you feel the bond being created when you were first given the ape folding zord?"

"Yes," I nodded slowly, trying to puzzle it out.

"You and the power are now bonded forever. I am scared of what may happen if you try to give the power back. Not only is there a chance of Serena rejecting the transfer of power, and destroying herself in the process, but the bond might be extremely difficult to break. If you try to break the bond, your subconscious will try to hold onto it as tightly as possible. It would cause great physical and mental distress and pain, if it doesn't kill you. I may be wrong in my theory, but I don't think anyone would want to take that chance."

"That sill doesn't answer my question," I said impatiently. "Why is Serena here?"

"Because despite the fact that she cannot be a ranger anymore, we don't want her training to go to waste. So, she is going to be helping you guys with your training."

I smiled and cheered along with everyone else, but inside I was slowly dying.

Emily, meet your opponent. Serena's shadow.


	3. Antonio to the rescue!

Chapter 2

The next day, my fears were justified.

As Serena helped us train, everyone kept making comments about how amazing she was.

"Wow, you're so cool!"

"How'd you do that?"

"That was AMAZING!"

I had held on to my cool for most of the day. After all, Serena was amazing. But one comment really pushed it.

"You know," Kevin said to Serena. "It's too bad that you got sick. You could've been the best yellow ranger ever!"

And that was the end of my temper.

Making a vague comment about needing to use the bathroom, I ran into the house. After making certain everyone was occupied outside, I quickly changed into normal clothes and walked out the front door.

I went to the park next door and sat on a bench. The park was deserted at this time of day, given that all of the kids were in school and everyone else was either sleeping or at work. I basked in the silence and thought.

Even after finding out that I was the one destined to be yellow ranger; everyone still thought Serena would make the better ranger.

I heard someone walk up behind me. I could tell it was Antonio by the sound of his footsteps. Before he had the chance to say a single word, I spoke.

"Do you ever feel like, no matter what happens, you'll never be good enough?"

"You're speaking to the guy that spent 2 days trying to get Kevin's approval," he said, sitting down on the bench next to me. "What's wrong?"

I sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I love my sister to death – okay poor choice of words – but I love her none the less… point is, now that she's better – despite the fact that I'm ecstatic about it – there is absolutely no way for me to escape her shadow."

"But why does it matter?" He asked me in confusion. "You're the one that was supposed to be yellow ranger, according to Mentor."

"That doesn't mean I'm as good as she would've been. So what if I'm destined to be yellow ranger? That doesn't change who Serena is!"

"And who is Serena?"

"She's the most charismatic person I have ever met! In school, even though I was the captain of the cheerleading squad, Serena was the popular one. I was spirited, the dancer. But I was also the freak, while Serena was the cool one. At school I was bullied. Then I'd come home every day, waiting for someone other than Serena to tell me that everything was worth the effort I put into it. That I was worth it. But even at home, I was overshadowed by my sister. Every time I accomplished something, won a dance competition, got published in the town newspaper, Serena would always have a story of something she did that was way cooler than what I had done. If I got an A+, Serena got 5 of them.

"When I started training before I actually had to become a ranger, Serena was always there as a standard everyone knew I had to measure up to. Then I came here, to a place where no one knew Serena. I was still comparing myself to her, but the outer pressure from everyone else to be as good as her had disappeared. No one here was comparing me to Serena, because no one knew her. No one knew how good she was.

"So what if we were fighting monsters every day. I wasn't being compared to anyone. I was free!

"And now she's back and my freedom's gone."

Antonio pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back, relishing in the feeling of being held.

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel like I always have to measure up to Kevin," he told me. "I think everyone is trying to live up to some sort of standard. Kevin and Mike want to be Jayden; Jayden wants to be his father… we all have something."

I pulled back. "But everyone had a chance to prove themselves! Everyone does something for the team! You're the one who unlocks all the zords AND figured out the black box; Kevin's the ideal, traditional samurai… Mike beat that place switching monster by himself for goodness sakes!"

"You helped him!"

"No I didn't. I was there but I didn't do anything! Anyway, Mia's kick butt, and Jayden's the leader. What did I do?"

"Well, what about the Negatron?"

"How do you know about him?"

"Jayden."

"Oh, right. Well, I didn't beat him or anything. That was Serena. She's the one who taught me how to deal with bullies. She's the whole reason I knew what to do!"

"You do a ton!" Antonio insisted.

"Oh, that's right, I know. I had my spirit stolen and the whole team had to go and save me. Really talented, huh?"

"Em, you know it's not like that."

"Yes it is!"

"Not for me. Or Mike, or Jayden, or anyone else. You didn't hear what Mike said about you when you were asleep. He's the one who said that you are the best of us first! Jayden said it too. You are the heart of the team. You keep us going. You're kind, you're caring, you're giving, you're AMAZING! And no one can take that place from you, not even your sister."

I smiled at him gratefully. He stood and tugged on my hand, pulling me up. "Come on. Let's go back before Mentor notices we're gone."

I followed behind him, feeling much better than I did before.

When we got home, we both changed quickly back into our training clothes, then ran outside.

Serena caught my eye and spoke. "What do you say to a little battle?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Bring it!"

We started sparring and I fought harder than I ever had in my life. I had to prove to myself that I was worthy and capable of being the yellow samurai ranger.

I could tell that everyone had stopped to watch us spar, but I was way past caring. I knew that Antonio said that no one thought I didn't belong, but I still felt like I needed to prove my worth.

The battle had gone on for half an hour before Serena fell, leaving me the victor. I was breathing hard, and I had a cramp in my side, but I had won.

"Wow Em. Amazing job." Serena said. "You've improved a ton!"

I smiled thankfully at her, and then sat down on a bench, my head down, as I tried to catch my breath.

Suddenly , a water bottle appeared in front of me. I looked up to see Antonio holding the plastic bottle out to me. I accepted it gratefully. Then, with a smirk and a wink, he said "Told you," and walked away.

I laughed and drained the water bottle. I got up and stretched, before practicing on a dummy.

AN- HAHAHAHA you probably think this story is over right? WRONG! I still have 3 chapters left to type up! Then it's over!

Tell me in a review if you caught the Mystic Force reference! I'll think up some prize for you if you find it! First 3 people win!

Hope you enjoyed!


	4. The breakdown

**Chapter 3**

That night, after my triumph against Serena, I was walking to the kitchen for a cup of water when I heard someone mention my name in the living room.

I peeked around the doorway only to see Serena and Ji talking quietly. About me. I stopped and listened.

"…do you think happened?" I just caught the end of Serena's question to Ji.

"I don't know," Ji admitted. "I've never seen her fight with such a passion before, not even against the nighlock."

"Speaking of, how has she been doing? It's not too much pressure is it?'

"I don't think you're mother took this nearly as well as Emily is."

"So everything's okay?"

"She's fine Serena. There is no need to be so worried."

There was silence for a few moments, during which I had about a thousand thoughts running through my head. I was glad that she cared but also kind of offended. Did Serena, the only person to ever fully believe in me, think I was too weak?"

"Is it wrong?" Serena's voice startled me.

"Is what wrong?"

"For me to be jealous of my sister. She's living the life I was training to live! Is it wrong to be jealous of the bond she has with the team? If I hadn't gotten sick, I would be the one here, fighting. I'd be the friend Emily is. I know that she is probably a better ranger than I would've been, but I still wish I had the chance to try."

I was surprised to hear her say that. Serena, my biggest fan, resented that I was here?

"To tell you the truth, I don't think having you be the yellow ranger instead of Emily would've been so detrimental to the team. It is quite obvious that you would've made an excellent yellow ranger, regardless of whether or not Emily is the one meant to be yellow ranger. To tell the truth, I do not feel that she does anything for the team that you couldn't do."

I stumbled away, my heart heavy and my head light with the news. Even Ji thought I was useless. No, not useless. Replaceable.

Somehow, being replaceable hurt more.

Would I ever be good enough to be the perfect yellow ranger?

I went to bed, but not to sleep. When I was sure that everyone else was off in dreamland, I put on my training clothes and wrote a note that I left on my bed. Then I went out to the privacy of the forest to train, my spin sword at my side.

Everything I came across was 1 more person I needed to work out my anger against.

I thought of Ji, and an old fir tree had multiple slices along its trunk. A bush took the form of Serena. With a few swings of my sword, the bush was no more.

Faces kept flashing through my head as my sword swung again and again. Jayden, Kevin, Mia, Antonio, Mike, Splitface, Negatron, on and on and on. Trees, bushes and plants all faced my wrath as I angrily sliced my way through the forest.

Finally, I reached an old, tall, strong oak tree, wider across than my father was tall. I fell to my knees in exhaustion and dropped my sword at my side. I looked up and saw the face of Mater Xandred. In rage, I got to my feet. If it wasn't for Xandred, I wouldn't be facing this dilemma in the first place.

Suddenly, tears blinding my vision, the rest of the world a blur, I punched and kicked that oak tree, not stopping for even a second to think about the fact that this was not, in fact, Xandred, but a poor, innocent oak tree that had done nothing wrong. Pain did not exist to me. All that did was the need to get out this rage before I exploded. I picked up my sword and slashed through the tree until it collapsed. When it did, I dropped my sword and fell to my knees. My arms and legs were dripping in blood and covered in bruises. I wrapped my arms around my torso and sobbed and cried and screamed in despair.

JAYDEN'S POV

When I woke up, I knew something wasn't right. And when I went to get breakfast, I knew what it was.

Emily wasn't in the kitchen.

The bubbly blond wasn't eating at the table or making food for breakfast. And the room seemed that much darker because of it.

I went to her room and found a note lying on her bed.

_I have gone to the forest to practice in the quiet and to get used to fighting in different terrains. Be back by breakfast (maybe around 8:30 or 9:00)._

_ Love, Emily_

I glanced at the clock sitting on the night table, feeling a bit worried.

It was 9:30.

I tried to keep my calm. If Emily was gone…

"No!" I thought. "Don't think like that! Emily is fine."

I went outside to the training grounds. "Has anyone seen Emily?" I asked.

"I woke up and she wasn't in bed." Mia said. "She left a note though. It said that-"

"I read the note." I told her in irritation. "But it is 9:30 and she said she'd be back by 9:00 and she's still gone. I'm getting worried."

I looked towards the forest, hoping to see Emily's smiling face appear between the trees. My eyes caught on an old fir tree that looked… off. I walked up to it and examined the trunk. There were deep slashes on it that did not look natural. I ran my hand over the marks in the wood. They seemed like they were made by a spin sword.

"Emily…" I whispered. I looked deeper into the forest and saw a nearby bush demolished. There was a whole trail of destruction leading from the tree and winding deep into the forest.

"Emily?" I called out into the silence of the forest. I took off running down the path made by the destroyed trees, plants, and bushes, Serena and Antonio following me a minute later.

At long last, I reached the end of the path. A huge oak tree had been knocked down – no cut down. By its stump sat a sobbing Emily, whose arms and legs were coated in a thick layer of blood, some of it obviously fresh, and some of it old and dry. She was weakly punching at the stump, her sword on the ground next to her. I quickly ran to her and kneeled by her side. I turned her face into my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around the shaking girl. I whispered what I hoped were soothing words into her ear in a desperate attempt to try and calm her down.

My heart broke for the broken girl sitting in my arms. Emily was usually so strong and fierce, and seeing her like this – so broken and hurt- was just… odd.

I heard Serena and Antonio break through the last of the trees, just as I was pulling Emily to her feet, who had mostly stopped crying by that time, but was still letting out moans, whimpers, and broken sobs every once in a while.

"Come on Em. Let's get you cleaned up."

And without another word, I lead her past her sister and Antonio, back home.

AN- Finally, the next chapter, way overdue. I am so sorry but I have work all day and my brothers are always home and they never let me on the computer when I get home (even though I've been working my butt off running around after 19 four year olds from 9 to 3:30 and they've been relaxing all day. I thought my summer would be more fun than that!)

Well I hope you enjoy. Review? Constructive criticism is welcome but flames are not. If you have nothing nice to say, do not say anything at all. But if you have any ideas about how I can improve my writing please tell me. And please tell me if you are enjoying!


	5. in the bathroom

A/N – Okay before I start this chapter I just wanted to thank the following people for reviewing my story: Innocent Primrose Everdeen, jg13145, Aqua Sweetie 1994, nikki500, d6410, and all those guests. You have no idea how amazing it makes me feel to look at my email; and see that so many people have reviewed and/or added me to their favorites/story alerts. Umm, one person reviewed and either they weren't logged in or they don't have an account, so I couldn't reply. But to the person that asked for Jaytonio fanfictions… if you are reading this, I'm sorry but I do not ship them, and I don't think I could write either character as gay if I tried. Thanks for the input but sorry, I'm not writing any fanfictions with Jayden and Antonio as a couple.

Anyway thank you to everyone who reviewed and or added me to their favorites/alerts. I really appreciate it.

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for…

CHAPTER 4

Emily's POV

I sat still and quietly as Jayden tenderly cleaned my arms with a warm, wet, soapy washcloth. But then again, I was so numb at that point; I wouldn't be able to react to his ministrations if I tried.

When my arms were clear of the dried blood, Jayden gasped. "Em?" he questioned, running his hand lightly over the cuts, scrapes and bruises he saw on my hands and arms. "What happened?"

"I hit the tree," I said emotionlessly. Numb, remember?

"The knocked over oak tree I found you next to?"

I nodded. "It wasn't knocked over when I found it though."

"And why exactly did you hit the tree?" he asked in confusion.

"I was mad," I shrugged.

"At the tree?"

"Why would I be mad at the tree?"

"You tell me."

I shook my head. "No, I wasn't mad at the tree."

"Then what were you mad at?"

"I don't know. The world, I guess."

As Jayden started wrapping my arms in bandages, he asked me why I was mad.

So I told him why. "I just… I felt useless. Like someone could replace me and it wouldn't make a difference."

"Someone like your sister?"

"Exactly .I feel like I do so little to help the team and even though I know I can do better, I don't get the chance to show it so everyone thinks I can't. Haven't you noticed that every time a new zord is introduced, it goes to someone else? Mike was so annoyed about not getting any disks the first time the additional ones were given out, but no one realized that I was skipped over as well. I've used the black box all of one time… every sign points to my being the weakest of the team, and maybe I'm starting to believe them."

"But why would you feel replaceable?" Jayden finished bandaging my arms and was sitting next to me.

"Because Ji said I was."

"When did he say that?"

"You know, you ask a lot of questions."

"Maybe that's because you don't answer them well."

I sighed. "I heard him say it last night, to Serena. I was going to the kitchen to get a drink and I heard them talking about me."

"So you heard that huh?" Serena said. I hadn't noticed her come in. She was standing in the doorway, holding my spin sword. "Here," she said, holding the sword out to me. "I thought you might want this back."

I accepted it from her with a soft "thanks."

"Listen," she told me. "I know what you heard-"

I cut her off. "Are you denying that he said this?"

"Of course not. I was there. I remember the conversation. But don't hold him accountable for it. He didn't mean it like that. He would never think of replacing you. Trust me."

I gave her a depressed little half smile. "Problem is, I don't know if I can anymore." I told her sadly.

"If you won't believe me, at least believe this: Ji said himself that you were probably the one destined to be yellow ranger. Do you really think he'd replace you after that whole speech?"

I shrugged.

Jayden spoke next. "Then you should at least trust me, Emily. I have known Ji all my life. After all, he did pretty much raise me. He always says some things he doesn't necessarily mean. That doesn't mean he thinks you're replaceable. And it wouldn't matter if he did. He doesn't fight the nighlock with you on a day to day basis. We- Mike, Kevin, Mia, Antonio, and I- do. And we wouldn't trade you for anyone, no matter how good they are. And you know that is?"

I shook my head as Serena tried to edge out of the bathroom as discreetly as possible. Then she created quite a loud crash by knocking over the towel rack. And that, my friends, is why we are sisters.

Jayden ignored her and kept talking. "It's because you are already the best one for the job. You don't realize how much you mean to this team – wait, no, scratch that. You don't realize how much you mean to me. You never let us give up, no matter how hopeless we feel. If we need help, you're always right there. You never lose your patience with us, no matter how exasperating we may be. This is the first time the pressure of saving the world daily has gotten to you. Everyone else has already broken down numerous times- including me. Admittedly, those breakdowns were on slightly smaller scales- but regardless, we've all broken down before now. But you? Even after having your _soul_ taken from you, you still bounced back immediately upon waking. You are the strongest of us- the center, heart and soul of this team. When Splitface got you, we were all ready to become nighlock to save you. Well, except Antonio, but that was only because he wasn't there. And he had a better idea that ended up being the thing that saved you… but that's not the point. We were all willing to give away our _humanity_ to save you, because without you, _we are not a team._ When you fall apart, so do we. Because whether you realize it or not, we need you."

I thought about what he said for a minute and then realized he had an extremely good point. Much happier, I smiled at him gratefully. "I had no idea." I told him.

"I thought you might not." He smiled back at me and gave me a hug. "So…" he continued, pulling away, much to my chagrin. (What? I love hugs, so sue me! Especially from Jayden, who I've had a crush on since forever. But can you blame me? He's so… okay not going to start or I might never stop.) "How exactly did you manage to knock down that huge oak tree?"

My smile widened. I was grateful for him changing the subject. Well, mostly changing the subject anyway. "It actually wasn't that hard. At first I just punched and kicked at it. Then I put my sword into the equation."

We both laughed, but were cut off by the gap sensor. We quickly sobered up and got to our feet, rushing along with the others into battle.

A/N – So chapter 4 is over. Wow it's longer than I thought it would be. I swear it was shorter in my notebook. How did it wind up being this 1,000+ word monstrosity?

Thank you to d6410 for one of the ideas in this chapter.

I know I said her legs were cut up too, but her hands were far worse, and besides, how awkward would it be for Jayden to clean and bandage her legs?

Thank you so much for reading so far! My brothers leave for camp on Tuesday so I will have the computer all to myself. So the new chapter will probably be up Tuesday or Wednesday. One left people!


	6. The end

CHAPTER 5

The battle had been going on for just a few minutes, but already I was sent to the ground, demorphed. My arms and legs were still sore from my battle with inanimate objects, which made battle difficult, if not impossible.

The nighlock- an ugly green thing with yellow eyes and blistered skin- approached me slowly, teasingly, as if he was trying to prolong the torture. I looked for the other rangers to find a reprieve but to my dismay, they were all otherwise occupied. The moogers made sure of that.

I scrambled backwards as fast as I could, but still the nighlock loomed menacingly over me. My hands dug instinctively into the earthy ground of the park we were fighting in. My eyes closed as I waited for the painful final blow.

But it never came.

I opened my eyes to see a yellowish glow surrounding me and vines rising from the earth, capturing the nighlock in their thorny grasps. They tightened around the monster, squeezing him until he exploded into a dust too fine to allow him to reform.

The weirdest part was, I was the one controlling those vines.

I didn't even have to use symbol power or anything. The earth seemed to respond to even the slightest thought, making the vines seem like my own limbs.

The moogers disappeared along with the nighlock. Jayden, who was now free of fighting, ran to me. Helping me up, he spoke. "How did you do that?" He asked.

"No idea," I responded truthfully, as pain radiated from my arms where Jayden was holding them. I winced at the pain and Jayden, who had noticed this, quickly let go, before picking them up again much more gently and investigating the bandages.

"Did you feel any of your cuts open back up?" He asked me worriedly as I watched the others look around in confusion for the moogers they were fighting just seconds before.

"Jay, I'm fine. Chill." I wasn't being completely truthful, but he didn't need to know that.

"Sorry," he replied, smiling sheepishly.

"It's fine."

The others finally realized that the battle was over and ran over to us.

"What's going on?" Mike asked. "Where'd the nighlock go?"

"Emily dealt with him." Jayden replied. The others nodded.

"Kay, cool." Kevin said. I smiled. His lack of excitement about my beating the nighlock made me really proud. That means that he knew I could do it, so it didn't shock him much that I did.

All of a sudden, Mia gasped. I followed her gaze down to my bandaged arms and my uncovered, bruised and battered legs. "What happened?"

"You would know if you had bothered to come with me when I went to look for Emily," Jayden said angrily, pushing me behind him.

"Jayden," I said forcefully. I was shocked at his behavior. I placed a hand on his arm. "It's not Mia's fault. Calm down."

He relaxed under my hand. "Sorry," he said to me again before turning to Mia. "Sorry, Mia."

"It's alright," she told him before looking at me. "So what happened?"

"I just needed to get out some anger and I picked the wrong tree to fight."

"You fought a tree?" Mike asked.

"OH!" Antonio said. "So that's why we found you next to a knocked over oak tree."

"Em, hasn't anyone told you?" Mike started. "Never kick a tree when it's down!" He snickered, before he and Kevin collapsed into laughter.

"The tree wasn't 'down' when I got there." I told them. They stopped laughing very quickly.

"You knocked down an oak tree?" Mia looked at me in confusion.

"Yeah…" I trailed off.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Kevin said very seriously.

I rolled my eyes and started back to the house, the others rushing after me, still making jokes about my mental breakdown as if it wasn't a big deal, and calling my things like "Emily the Great" and "Little Miss Tree Slayer" and " O Master Emily, Nighlock Destroyer."

When we arrived back at the house, Mike wasted no time in telling Ji about what happened.

"Sounds like you had quite the battle," Ji said when Mike was done. "Why don't you head on down to the beach and take the day off?"

We all exchanged excited looks and started heading immediately to change into swimsuits. I changed into a yellow and red tye-dyed halter one piece and a white, short sleeved, knee length, cotton dress. I put sunscreen, my white sunglasses, my iPod, my phone, and a big, yellow and pink floral beach towel into a tote bag, then stuffed my feet into my sandals and ran to the living room where I met everyone else.

We started to leave, but Ji called me back.

When we were alone, he spoke.

"Emily, I wanted to apologize. I feel that, although I knew you were the right choice for the yellow ranger, I underestimated you. And that was a mistake. What you did on the battlefield today is the true mark of samurai that is fully boded with their powers. Being a ranger is more than just controlling your element with symbols. It's about truly being united with your power in such a way that you are able to call on the element at any time. You are the most deserving and I'm sorry I didn't realize this earlier. "

I smiled. "It's alright. It's in the past."

He smiled back at me. "Now go. Have fun."

I didn't hesitate and ran down to the beach. When I arrived, everyone was playing in the water, except Jayden, who was missing. I set my bag down on the sand, pulled off my dress, slipped off my flip flops, and looked around for him when I felt a pair of warm strong arms wrap around my waist and lift me before I was thrown over someone's shoulder. I looked down and saw a pair of red swimming trunks and a bare back. I realized by the color of the bathing suit that the person carrying me was Jayden. Then with a jolt I realized it was a_ topless _Jayden. Butterflies filled my stomach, even as I pounded on Jayden's back and yelled at him to let me go. Eventually he did. That was once we got to the water.

I stood up in the water and gulped at the sight of Jayden's naked chest. I had a feeling I had started drooling, but luckily I was dripping wet, so if I did, he didn't notice. Or he was pretending not to notice. Either way he was smiling at me and I started smiling right back, but with more mischievous intentions in mind.

I splashed him, and he splashed me right back. Our water fight continued for a couple of minutes. Then I tripped, but he caught me before I could fall.

I found myself staring deeply into his gorgeous eyes. "Thanks for catching me." I said quietly.

"Always." He breathed. Then he leaned down and his lips touched mine gently. It might not have been a particularly passionate kiss, but my head spun and fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as they fluttered shut, none the less. I wrapped my arms around his neck, purely on instinct, and his arms tightened around me, holding me closer to hm.

All too soon, he pulled his lips from mine. He helped me stand upright once again, his blue eyes not once leaving my hazel ones.

"I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, Jayden. Now shut up and kiss me again."

He obliged with a smile.

I felt elated. Finally I was good enough.

**THE END! **

A/N – I know this is way early but I had time. Who knew? Hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter! I know the end was kinda cheesy but I had to.  
BIG TIME RUSH IS ON TOMORROW! Sorry just had to get that out of my system. Is it just me, or do Alex Heartman and Kendall Schmidt look sooo much alike? SERIOUSLY LOOK IT UP! IT'S SCARY!  
OH and PRS is coming back in fall! So excited. I was just watching the Master Returns and was thinking they were showing close ups of Emily way too much for it to be coincidental. They are trying to tell us something, I just know it!

SO now that my fangirl rant is over… Thanks for reading!

Oh and anyone reading this, like, months away from now, you can review! Don't think it's been too long!

PEACE OUT PEOPLE!


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